Fragments of Corruption
by Saddened Soul
Summary: After a mysterious incident occurs in the Undernet, several fragments of an extremely powerul piece of data appear. Lan and Megaman soon find themselves a part of the mystery when Megaman and Protoman locate two of the pieces. What is behind the data's po
1. Chapter One

(Ah yes, I'm finally getting to writing this story, yay! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and remember to review!)

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Mega Man in any such way possible.

Fragments of Corruption:

Chapter One

Bass.EXE silently hovered over the remnants of Undernet Area Seven. The great explosion had occurred in an instant, almost completely eradicating the entire area.

Bass sighed as he glanced around aimlessly searching for the cause of the explosion, until something caught his eye.

He lowered his feet to the ground and studied the small, crimson piece of data. A light blue aura surrounded it, and its light seemed luring to Bass, as if it wanted him to touch it. He hesitantly reached for the piece of data, feeling it with his index finger and thumb.

Carefully picking it up, he let it fall into the palm of his hand. His eyes widened at its power, his senses bursting with amazement. The data was so foreign, yet, Bass felt its power growing within him.

He chuckled before gliding off, carrying the data with him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lan Hikari let out a sigh of relief as the school bell rang, signaling the end of the week and the beginning of the weekend.

He happily packed away his book and notebook before almost jogging out of the classroom.

"Something up Lan?" Megaman.EXE asked as his operator smiled gleefully. "Yep, Dad told me I could go over to the lab to check out the newest type of battlechip!" Lan exclaimed in response.

"Yeah, you've been all jumpy this week," Megaman stated. "Besides, aren't you supposed to go to the mall with Mayl for Yai's birthday?"

Lan's expression degraded to a small pout as he sighed. "Thanks a lot Megaman, you just had to ruin my good mood."

"Lan, wait up!" Mayl Sakurai exclaimed as the boy turned to face her. "You okay, Mayl? You look a little flustered," Lan stated.

The girl let out a small smile. "I was rushing so I could get to you before you go gallivanting. If you remembered, we have to go get Yai a birthday present."

Lan nodded. "Yeah, Megaman reminded me."

Mayl sighed as she grasped her own PET and checked for any e- mails. Lan began to smile before his PET rang, signaling someone was trying to call.

"Now what," he thought as he activated the call.

"Hello? Lan?" The boy knew that voice very well; it belonged to his father. "Dad? What's up?" he responded, scratching his nose.

"Lan, I know you just got out of school, but could you please visit SciLabs briefly?"

Lan grinned widely. "Have you guys completed the new battle chip?"

There was a slight pause between Lan's question and his father's. "No, it's something more… important."

The boy could somehow sense the seriousness of his father's statement, replying, "I'll be there."

Mayl frowned as Lan turned to her and stated, "Sorry, something came up with Dad, but you can still go get Yai something."

He then strapped his rollerblades on and began to head for the Metroline.

Eugene Chaud silently walked into the building, glancing around. A few personnel could be seen strolling around through their duties, and a few security guards were stationed near the elevator and entrance.

He sighed and began walking towards the elevator while taking a glance at his PET.

"Security's been tightening, don't you think Protoman?" he asked quietly before leaning against the elevator interior, watching the floors of SciLabs pass by gradually through the glass panel fixated on the side of the elevator.

"I consider it normal. Ever since the events at NAXA you can never be too sure. Besides, the organization hasn't been completely scoured."

Chaud closed his eyes. "Yeah, or maybe whatever they've been working on is a tad more dangerous than we'd like to think."

The elevator halted and opened, allowing Chaud to exit and begin to make his way to the central laboratory.

He had been called just two hours before to visit SciLabs. Being a high- ranking Official held its privileges and rights, so Chaud was logically noticed about the recent explosion in the Undernet's deepest area. A team of Official navis had been dispatched to sum up the damage, as well as to search for any clues about the incident. The team had not yet returned, and a secondary team was waiting to be sent.

Chaud turned a corner and hurried down the hallway. He was currently on the second to last floor of SciLabs, which housed Dr. Hikari's office and lab. Nevertheless, Chaud was reluctant to come. He had been previously busy with tracking down the remnants of Nebula, and this visit did not please him one bit.

He turned a left and stopped before a locked door. He removed a card from his vest pocket and slid it through the small panel to the right, and then pressed a few buttons.

The small red light signifying 'Locked' had turned to green and Chaud waited for the door to slide open.


	2. Chapter Two

Fragments of Corruption:

Chapter Two

Lan yawned loudly while the elevator stopped at the second to last floor of the SciLabs building.

"We hit lucky Megaman; if I had to pick this or going to the mall with Mayl, I'd pick this."

"You don't really mean that, do you?" Megaman responded from the PET. "You guys are always doing stuff together."

Lan shrugged. "Sure, but she gets on my nerves after awhile. She starts correcting me and the starts nagging!"

Megaman smiled. "Well, at least she's getting some practice; when's the wedding?" Lan ignored him and strode over to the entrance of his father's laboratory. The door was presently open, so he quickly walked inside.

The room was vacant except for three people; Eugene Chaud, Lan's father, and another scientist.

They all turned to see Lan as he scratched his head. "Ah, Lan, just in time; Chaud came in just a minute ago," his father stated as Chaud nodded quickly in his direction.

"So, back to what we were discussing Mr. Chaud, no, the explosion in the Undernet occurred silently and very fast; no one knew of it before of when it happened."

Lan walked up to them. "What explosion? Did something happen?"

"Earlier today, Undernet Area Seven was found in ruins. A strange and powerful aura floated in the area, and it could not be confirmed what," Chaud explained.

The boy nodded. "Okay, but, um, why was I called here?"

"For the same reason Chaud was," the scientist replied. "You two are among the best Netbattlers in Electopia, and both of you have contributed greatly to quelling World Three's, Gospel's, and Nebula's attempts at global corruption. So, it seemed only right that we had both of you come here; there have been a few recent developments since the explosion."

Dr. Hikari nodded. "Yes, but I would like to inform you of something other than the explosion. As I'm sure you both know, we have been constructing a new battlechip, and we have called them EX chips."

"EX chips?!" Lan confirmed excitedly. His father smiled. "Now, we have been extremely busy constructing a series of prototypes, since they are extremely powerful and require a large amount of energy. We have just recently completed some of the trial chips, and have decided to grant each of you one."

Lan's eyes lit up with glee. "Really? That's awesome!" he exclaimed while his father chuckled. The scientist nodded and removed two olden chips from his coat pocket. He laid them out in his hand and showed them to the two.

"Cyber Sword EX, and Spread Buster EX. Of course Mr. Chaud, while you are an Official and are prohibited to use any battlechips, this is an exception. This is also one for you Lan, because these chips are not to be sold publicly."

He then picked up the Spread Buster EX and handed it to Chaud, who took it without a word. Lan hurriedly walked up to him and extended his left hand. The scientist gently laid the remaining chip in Lan's hand.

He stared at it for a few moments. "All right; we've got an EX battlechip, Megaman!"

"Yeah, and it's ours!" the navi replied.

Dr. Hikari cleared his throat. "Now, remember these chips are prototypes and can easily malfunction at any time; be extremely careful when handling them."

The scientist nodded once more. "Yes, and now for the real reason we called you here." He waited for complete silence and continued. "One of our dispatch team's navis returned. It was damaged badly and its appearance had changed. When interrogated about what happened, the navi answered that a foreign energy filled the area. The energy could not be tracked to a source, but it was so powerful that all of the team, except for that one navi, were deleted when they came in contact with it. Fortunately, the navi was cautious, and only its data had been altered. However, a constant strain had been put on it, and it was deleted in only one hour since its return."

Chaud shrugged. "All right, so what's the point?" The scientist stroked his chin. "Before the navi was deleted, we extracted a piece of data and studied it. The data, surprisingly, was simple, so simple we could easily alter it or imprint it upon something. Yet, after much searching, we have confirmed the energy is only contained in that area of the Undernet. We would like one of you to venture into that area and locate the source of the energy."

"How can you be so sure the source is there?" Chaus inquired while straightening his vest.

The scientist scratched his head. "Yes, it's a long shot, but it is our only lead."

Chaud nodded and turned to Lan. "Sorry, Hikari, but I'll take this one." Lan shrugged and grinned. "Doesn't matter to me, just come back with Protoman intact; we have a score to settle."

Chaud looked back at the others. "All right then, when can I go through with it?"

"Right now if you'd like," the scientist replied. Chaud quickly walked over to the main computer panel and unhooked his PET, removing the cord and plugging it in. "Fine, I'll get it over with, maybe even experiment with that chip," he stated.

(Just so you know, this story is branching off from the games, and I called the chip Cyber sword because it's the most commonly used name, I think.)


	3. Chapter Three

(The first fight scene, yay!)

Fragments of Corruption:

Chapter Three

Bits of debris and such hovered and floated throughout Undernet Area Seven; loose data flowed around and the ground was torn apart.

"Currently reporting," Protoman began. "It seems this explosion has destroyed most of this area; it is extremely unlikely it is repairable."

Chaud closed his eyes and sighed. "That's too bad, but at least it'll make it easier to scour out criminals; continue the reconnaissance mission."

Protoman nodded and began to walk deeper into the area. He could feel it as he ventured through the area; a powerful presence was scattered about, affecting his stamina.

He shrugged the sudden feeling off and stopped. "Mr. Chaud, I believe we have found something."

Chaud pressed a small button on the PET, lighting up the screen and transferring the image. "Can you get any closer?"

Protoman was standing before a great black distortion in the area. It resembled that of scar in the air; data was being sucked into it.

"No, if I want to keep myself from being deleted. Whatever's causing this is, by far, more powerful than anything I've ever faced."

"Really?" His operator seemed intrigued. Protoman winced as a bit of his data flowed away from him. "It's becoming bigger," he stated as a sudden noise occurred behind him. The navi turned immediately, examining his surroundings. Nothing.

"What's wrong?" Chaud inquired as his navi tensed. "I am… not alone," Protoman replied as another noise could be heard.

Suddenly, an energy blast was shot from above. Protoman easily moved to the side as the blast collided with the floor, leaving a small burn mark. "Not bad, actually impressive."

The red navi faced his attacker who had appeared before him. It seemed like a Net Navi, but its color scheme was completely gray. It did however, appear like a default navi; its eyes were a deep crimson however.

Protoman fidgeted. "Who are you?" The navi cocked its head to the right. "I have no name, but you do, Protoman."

"How did you-,"

"Your data, my friend, your data. It has become one with the Enigma data; you cannot escape."

The Official navi winced. "Enigma data; what is that?" His attacker chuckled. "The Enigma data is the cause of this 'disruption' as you humans put it. It absorbs and consumes data, and therefore it learns everything about that data, such as yourself."

Protoman backed away somewhat. "Then how do you know my name?"

"I am one with the data myself; I am a portion of it in actuality."

"What do you mean? How can a Net Navi be a piece of separate data?" The navi chuckled. "I am not a true Net Navi, only a different representation of the data."

Protoman winced and held out his arm diagonally across his chest. The arm lit up and took the shape of a blade; the light dissipated, leaving only a bright, violet glow around the weapon.

"Why did you attack me?" The navi backed away and formed a buster out of his right arm; he then aimed it at Protoman, charging it up.

"In order for myself to become complete, I cannot allow the Enigma data to fall in to the hands of anyone else; you just happen to be a threat. The data has been scattered around the net, but the piece which was here is gone, but it matters not. I'll delete you so you do not get in the way."

He unleashed the blast; it sailed at the Official navi at a fast rate of speed. Protoman dashed out of the way as the attack caused an explosion, circling his adversary.

"You may be quick Protoman, but I know you better than you known yourself."

The navi spun around and delivered a kick, colliding with Protoman's jaw. The impact sent him back a few feet, but he flipped and slashed at the navi, but he jumped back out of the way and shot again, only to have the blast deflected by Protoman's shield.

Chaud grimaced. "This is annoying; stop toying with him, Protoman!"

Protoman shook his head at his operator's command. "I would've struck him by now, but it's as if he really is able to read my thoughts and movements."

The navi shrugged and created another buster from his free hand. "Enough games, it's time to finish this." Bright, powerful auras surrounded the barrels, growing larger every moment.

Protoman merely stared at the lights, standing straight. "Mr. Chaud, download the EX Chip."

Chaud eyed the chip in his free hand, sliding it down his palm to twiddle in his fingers. "Hmph, why not? Fine, get ready." He inserted the chip though one of three slots within the right side of the PET before pressing a button.

Protoman's sword glowed a sudden deep golden, emanating extremely brightly. "W-What is that! You hold no chips such as that, and neither are you allowed to use chips!"

Chaud grinned while Protoman raised the intricate, golden buster into the air. "It's something called an EX Chip; Protoman, fire!" the Official ordered as Protoman held the buster with his other hand and fired.

A huge sphere of energy exploded from the barrel, splitting into nine separate spheres. The force of the attack knocked the Official navi to the floor as the spheres surrounded the navi and exploded, creating a massive explosion. The blast dealt serious damage to the navi, forcing him to his knees.

"An EX Chip? How… interesting…" he muttered before fading away.

Lan's eyes widened. "Whoa! That was awesome, Megaman!" The blue navi nodded. "I have to say, wow."

Chaud only grinned slightly while removing the chip and dropping it in his pocket. "Protoman, jack out; there isn't anything of interest there anymore."

His navi shrugged and beamed out of the area and into the PET as Chaud unplugged the extension cord.

Dr. Hikari stroked his chin. " 'Enigma data'? I've never head of anything like that." The other scientist nodded. "Yes, quite mysterious. Well, I'll make sure the Undernet is under heavy watch from the Officials; that navi is dangerous, and we need to find him."

"Of course. Well then, Lan, I guess I'll be seeing you later."

The boy nodded quickly. "Sure, well, I've got to go!" he exclaimed before running out of the room, leaving Chaud to walk near the door.

"If you find anything else out, you know where to find me." He then left.

* * *

"So, where'd you suppose that data came from?" the fifteen year- old teenager spoke through the phone in a phone stall outside the SciLabs building. It had begun to rain heavily as Lan Hikari ran out of the building and towards the Metroline station.

"Excess energy from the core of the Undernet, I suppose," a man replied, fixating the collar of his lab coat.

"Oh, really? What'd you think Serenade was up to, then?"

"It might have been Serenade, but it's difficult to tell at this time."

The boy chuckled. "Doesn't really matter, but I'm certainly intrigued. Scar-man and I'll have a good 'ol time getting a fragment for you."

"I don't require you to, Adam, but it's entirely your decision. I can acquire it easily by myself, but be careful; Lan Hikari and Eugene Chaud are involved."

"Those two? They don't pose a threat; I won't have to use that EX Chip you sent me or any Dark Chips."

"You're that confident? Fine, play your game, but don't come crying to me if you're defeated."

"Me? Defeated? Hmm, you really are one for cracking a joke, but I'll give you two points for it."

"Will it bother you to know that they both have an EX Chip in their possession?"

"All the more fun. Well, fill me in when I'm done with finding the data."

"Of course, farewell."

Adam smirked while placing the phone back and putting his hood over his head before walking out onto the street.

(Sorry, not much of a fight scene, but they'll get better.)


	4. Chapter Four

(Just to let you know, there will be no Cross Fusion in this story, as it follows the game.)

Fragments of Corruption:

Chapter Four

Lan propped himself on the chair in front of his computer and sighed. "Oh man… Darn, Megaman, can you do my homework?"

The navi shook his head from the PET's display screen. "Sorry, Lan, but you've got to be responsible; besides, you won't learn anything that way."

The boy chipped up, however, and prepared to jack his Net Navi in. "Why don't we go try out that EX Chip? I've got all weekend for homework!" Megaman shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Lan nodded and inserted the extension cable into a small port on the computer console, a small light going on to signal it was a success. "Okay, Megaman, let's find some viruses!"

* * *

"Are you certain about this?" a black armored navi asked his operator, who took a sip from his coffee.

"Of course I am, Scar- man. If we can attract either Chaud or Lan we can finish them off before they even have a chance at acquiring any of the Enigma data. The other pieces are dormant, and the Prof. only said that two had awakened, one in the Undernet, and the piece that had configured into a navi."

"And what happened to the one in the Undernet?"

"They think it was stolen or something, but it doesn't matter; just do what I told you to do."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Megaman opened his eyes, seeing the last of his body forming. He stood in the middle of one of the roads in the Den Area.

"Hey, Lan, how about we go visit the Square and go stock up on some Sub- Chips while we're here?"

"Sounds like a good idea."

The blue navi nodded and began to walk along the road, headed for Den Area 2, from which he could enter the Square. Programs and navis were scattered about, completing errands or just checking up on things.

Suddenly, however, a large explosion could be heard far off in Area 2, and then multiple explosions occurred around the Areas.

"What was that?" Lan asked him urgently as programs and navis started a commotion and began to run about in panic.

"It sounded like it came from the Square! I'll check it out!" Megaman answered in a yell before sprinting down the cyber roads and into the second Den Area.

* * *

A somewhat large navi stepped up, his black chest plate shining. His equally stunning boots and gauntlets were painted black as well, and his helmet had two golden horns protruding from it. A gray scarf covered up his mouth and nose, falling beside one of his two protrusions sprouting from his shoulders. Golden lines ran down the center of his boots, gauntlets, and helmet, and two spheres of light dug into his helmet served as eyes. An emblem displaying a black sphere within a crimson background was attached to the center of his chest.

He knelt down and grasped the collar of a default navi, raising him to his eye level.

"P-Please! Don't hurt me!"

"Do you know the whereabouts of a navi called Megaman?"

"I-I don't know any M-Megaman!" he stuttered back, but the spheres of light grew cold. "Then you are of no use to me," he responded calmly, before the navi's body exploded from a disperse of energy from the black navi's hand.

"Adam, do I search the rest of the area?"

"No, just wait; he only jacked in a few minutes ago."

Scar-man grunted and turned, examining the ruins of the Square. "How unfortunate…" he thought as a smaller, blue navi ran into sight.

"Hey! What happened here!" Megaman questioned as Scar-man turned to face him. "Are you Megaman?"

"Yeah, and you are?"

"I am called Scar-man, and my purpose here is to delete you."

"What!" Megaman let out as Scar-man formed a small sphere of bright blue energy and launched it at his target. Megaman dashed to the side and fired his Mega-Buster, but the blast only bounced off of the black armor.

"That's not good…" thought the blue navi as Scar-man leaped into the air and fired another blast. "Oh yeah, well take this!" Megaman cried before firing a much more powerful attack. "Charge Shot!"

The two energy projectiles collided, but Scar-man's broke through Megaman's hitting his opponent directly.

The explosion knocked the smaller navi a few yards back, forcing him to roll across the floor. He stopped and quickly stood up, wincing. "This is bad, Lan; not even the Charge Shot worked."

The boy grinned. "Don't worry! Here, Gutsman G, Soul Unison!" He inserted the Gutsman G chip, and pressed a small button on the PET. Megaman's body glowed brightly, and gained Gutsman's armor and helmet. "GutsSoul!"

Scar-man landed gently on his feet, cocking his head to the left in what seemed like amusement. "Soul Unison? No matter what tricks you play, I will still delete you."

Megaman shook his head. "No way!" He ran up to the black armored navi and prepared to punch with his right arm, the fist growing larger. "GutsPunch!"

The fist collided with the chest plate, only for the impact to force him back. "What?"

Scar- man spun around and delivered a powerful kick to Megaman's abdomen, sending him a few feet away.

Adam shook his head in disappointment. "Well, well, well, it seems the great Megaman isn't so great after all," he spoke, causing Lan to stand quickly, knocking his chair down. "Are you his operator? Who are you?" he asked loudly.

"Calm down, kid. I'm Adam Takahashi. Sorry if Scar-man caused a ruckus, but I had to draw you out somehow."

"You didn't have to do it in a way that you deleted Net Navis and caused damage to the net!" Lan retorted. Adam chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, it's no big deal. Don't worry about it, since Megaman's about to be deleted."

Lan turned his attention to the PET screen to see Megaman being slammed in the stomach area by Scar-man's right fist, sending him down against the floor hard. The GutsSoul dissipated, leaving the tattered navi to see Scar-man raise his arms.

"How about we finish him with at least some dignity, eh, Scar-man? Now, Dark-Cannon A, B, and C! Program Advance: Dark-Cannon Zeta!"

Lan gasped. "A Dark Chip Program Advance! Are you part of Nebula?"

Adam chuckled. "Are you actually serious? You don't have to be part of Nebula to use Dark Chips, you idiot."

The brown- haired boy ground his teeth. "No! Megaman!" he exclaimed as the violet cannon formed out of Scar-man's right gauntlet.

Megaman's eyes widened in horror before a sudden flash of light blinded both of the navis. "Stop this idiocy, Adam," a female voice spoke, causing the blonde teenager to flinch in his seat at the café.

"Naomi? Why the hell did you send Flare?"

A shining, gold female navi had formed out of the light. Long blonde hair tumbled down from behind a golden helmet, and long, red ribbons flowed out from her gloves and boots. A completely violet emblem was attached to her chest, and her golden aura caused the navis to squint.

"So I see Naomi has decided to intervene?" Scar-man inquired as Flare smiled happily. "Yes," the female navi replied.

"What are you doing, Adam? You should be searching for the Enigma data rather than messing around with navis who don't pose a threat to us," Naomi stated. Adam smirked. "I was getting him out of the way, but fine, I'll leave him alone."

He began to speak to Lan. "Well, then, Lan, I guess we'll finish this later, and hopefully you'll have improved."

Scar-man and Flare then beamed out, leaving Megaman to shakily get to his feet. "What do you think that was, Lan?" he asked as his operator shrugged.

"I don't know, but it's nothing good…"

* * *

Adam frowned and unplugged the extension cable from the laptop, standing and leaving a few zenny on the café table. He then exited the building, pulling his hood up again and looking to the left. A seventeen year- old girl with long black hair and scarlet eyes approached him, stopping a few feet away. She carried a red umbrella above her head and wore a black shirt under a black jacket. Her dark blue jeans drooped over white tennis shoes.

Adam sighed. "Do you enjoy ruining my fun?"

She shrugged. "You can do whatever you want, just keep your priorities straight."

"Oh? And what are you up to, then?"

"I've just located a dormant piece of the Enigma data," she answered. "I'm going after it right now. You just gave me an opening."

"What do you mean?"

"The data's at SciLabs."

Adam grinned. "SciLabs? Shouldn't the Prof. know about it?" Naomi shook her head. "No, he left the labs about thirty minutes after you spoke to him."

"So you've been spying on us?"

"It's necessary to make sure I have things under control."

"I'm sure…"

Adam then walked up beside Naomi, sighing. "Just watch out; I wouldn't want you to get hurt," he stated sarcastically.

"Of course," she responded, glancing at him as he started walking away.

* * *

The shape of a default Net Navi could be seen standing on the higher level of the SciLab Area 1, its gaze studying the place. "The Enigma data will awaken soon enough… and I can then be one step closer to my completion." 


End file.
